[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 24 (Monday, June 18, 2001)]
[Page 891]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Opening of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Meeting 
in Brussels, Belgium

June 13, 2001

    Mr. Secretary General, thank you very much. It's an honor for me to 
be here. It's an honor to say hello to folks who I've had the honor of 
meeting before, and it's a real pleasure to meet other leaders in the 
free world.
    Our nations established NATO to provide security for the free 
peoples of Europe and North America, to build a grand alliance of 
freedom to defend values which were won at great cost. We've succeeded, 
in part.
    The NATO Alliance deterred the Soviet Union. It provided the time 
and space for free peoples to defeat communism. And it brought the cold 
war to a bloodless end. Now, we have a great opportunity to build a 
Europe, whole, free, and at peace, with this grand alliance of liberty 
at its very core. That work has begun.
    By bringing in new members, we extend the security and stability 
through central Europe. By establishing the Partnership for Peace, we 
reached out across central and eastern Europe and Eurasia. By our 
actions in the Balkans, we halted ethnic cleansing in the heart of 
Europe and halted a dictator in the process. Yet, there is more to do.
    We must strengthen our Alliance, modernize our forces, and prepare 
for new threats. We must expand cooperation with our partners, including 
Russia and the Ukraine. And we must extend our hands and open our hearts 
to new members to build security for all of Europe.
    Next year we meet in the ancient capital of a new democracy. Our 
ally Prague will host our next summit in November of 2002. In 
preparation for that meeting, we must affirm our enduring commitments by 
preparing for the challenges of our time.
    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Note: The President spoke at 11:44 a.m. at NATO headquarters. In his 
remarks, he referred to NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson. A tape 
was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.